


The Fine Art of Stealth...and Coffee

by starry_mist



Category: Hudson & Rex (TV)
Genre: Charah - friendship, Missing Scenes, S1E13 - The Rex Files
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28936425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starry_mist/pseuds/starry_mist
Summary: A series of late night and early morning coffee drop-offs between our favourite detective and forensic pathologist.
Comments: 58
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this one kicking around for a little while, and I've hit a mental block on some of my more serious works-in-progress, so you get this fluff instead.

Sarah strode into the Forensics lab, Charlie hot on her heels. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t do it,” she laughed in response to his request to check out the new evidence he’d brought in.

“Come on, but this is gonna be a fun one,” Charlie protested. “And, geek conundrums are your specialty.”

Taking a seat at the computer, Sarah looked at the paperwork that covered the desk. “I know, but I promised Donovan I’d finish this high-profile case first.” She swiveled her chair to look back at him for a moment. “Dead judge? You know the drill.” Returning to the work at hand, she opened a file folder.

“Yeah, well, I’ll see your dead judge and I’ll raise you…” he paused for effect, “strange phenomenon in a mysterious car crash.”

She chuckled a little to herself at his persistence.

“Jesse thinks they’re EMPs…”

Charlie knew he’d piqued her interest when she turned back to him, eyes wide with excitement.

“As in electromagnetic pulses?”

Charlie just smiled expectantly at her.

Dammit. He knew exactly how to turn on the charm. Trying to ignore his distraction, she looked back at her computer. “Wait, no, no I can’t. I made a promise. And I’m already gonna have to pull an all-nighter.”

Charlie resigned himself to the fact that she wasn’t going to budge. Yet. “Okay well, I’ll leave you to it then. Rex and I are gonna go see the crash survivor and see if he can shed some light on this mystery.” The detective turned to leave.

“Don’t solve it without me,” Sarah called out as she faced him once more. She couldn’t deny that he had her a little bit curious about his new case.

“Oh, we will,” Charlie threw back over his shoulder.

Sarah rolled her eyes, biting back a grin as she resumed going over the file she’d opened on her computer. The man really was an incorrigible flirt when he needed something from her. And she knew she’d fall for it every time. Looking at the file in front of her, she found a preliminary report that she wanted to go over with Donovan, and headed up to his office.

Returning to the lab a little while later, Sarah headed back to the desk and was surprised to see a fresh mug of coffee sitting there with a note next to it.

_S,_

_Figured you could use the extra kick to keep you going tonight. Sorry we’re having all the fun._

_-C_

_PS – As if we could ever solve a mystery without you._

She picked up the mug and smiled as she inhaled the sweet scent of chocolate. Sipping the mocha, she turned back to her computer screen with a sigh. She was definitely missing something in the evidence. She scrolled back up to the beginning of the evidence file. Perhaps there was something they’d overlooked.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More case. More coffee.

The next day, Charlie returned to the lab. Noticing that Sarah appeared to be putting away the remaining papers on her desk, he hoped this might be a good time to approach her with the evidence from the explosion.

“Hey,” he said casually.

Sarah looked up, a mixture of surprise and relief on her face. She’d heard about his near-miss with the explosion the night before. “Hey! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, just a couple of scratches.” Charlie shrugged it off like it was nothing, not wanting to worry his friend.

She had of course worried about him regardless, and smiled brightly at his reassurance that he was alright. He had to admit he found her smile captivating, particularly when it was directed at him, even if he wasn’t quite ready to explore what that really meant to him. 

“You’re cleaning up,” he noted. “Is that good news?”

“Just closed the dead judge file, and for the first time in forever I have nothing on my plate,” replied Sarah, looking quite content. Truthfully she was more than ready to head home for a quiet evening, maybe a warm bath and a good book.

Charlie cocked his head at her, not knowing that he was about to put a damper on her plans. “Well then, maybe this is the perfect time,” he began, laying the evidence bag he carried on her table and sliding it in her direction, “to show you this?” 

Sarah let out a pained sigh.. “And there go my plans for a work-free evening.”

“Buy you lunch tomorrow,” offered Charlie, a little sorry to have disturbed her with his request.

Sarah glanced quickly over what appeared to be a charred and melted piece of metal in the evidence bag he had given her. “Doesn’t this stuff usually go to the forensics fire guys?”

“They have too much to process, and with Pry’s murder Donovan caved. Now this is Major Crimes. Also Rex sniffed this one out himself, and well, the fire guys are good,” he readied himself to lay on the charm, “but they’re not _Sarah Truong_ good.”

Sarah rolled her eyes at his attempt at flattery. “You had me at ‘I’ll buy you lunch,’ no need to keep working it.” Still, she couldn’t help but flash him a small smile of appreciation, which earned her a somewhat flirty smile in return from the detective. Was it really flirty, or was she just seeing what she wanted to see? She wasn’t mentally ready to go there yet. 

“Okay,” she acquiesced. The detective turned to leave. “Oh, I’ll have the Bento Box D, extra wasabi.”

“I know,” said Charlie, surprising Sarah that he knew her order by heart. Perhaps she shouldn’t be surprised, they did have lunch together often and besides, the detective had a pretty good memory for detail.

Calling for Rex, Charlie disappeared down the hall. Sarah began to examine the mysterious object he’d left, secretly happy to have the opportunity to help with the case.

Later that evening after taking a short break to grab a snack from the vending machine, Sarah returned to the lab and saw another mug sitting on her desk with another note.

_S,_

_I know I owe you lunch tomorrow, but consider this a thank you for the extra time tonight._

_\- C_

_PS – I’m sorry I worried you. You know Rex always has my back._

_PPS – It’s decaf. Don’t stay up too late. See you tomorrow._

She giggled softly, despite her slight disapproval at him having brought her decaf. Okay, perhaps it was her move next.

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Sarah's turn to be sneaky.

Later that afternoon, Charlie made his way down to the lab once again.

“Got your text. You move fast.”

“Like you said, geek conundrums are my specialty,” replied Sarah. 

Charlie laughed, as it was absolutely true. The forensic scientist was so skilled at putting together the pieces of any complicated puzzle he brought her, and he constantly relied on her expertise.

Sarah launched into an explanation of the various objects that covered her examination table. “So, I’ve managed to put together a partial re-creation using the fragments Rex identified at the blast site. My hunch is that it’s a drone, but I don’t know what this part would be for,” she said quickly, pointing at the piece of metal he’d brought her the previous night. “Now what’s interesting,” she continued, “is that these fragments were completely saturated in nitroglycerin, which makes this the likely delivery system.”

Charlie quickly caught on to what she was describing. “Someone flew a bomb-carrying drone into Graham Pry’s window.”

“Pretty much,” Sarah replied. “You have Rex to thank for having found these fragments.”  _ And for saving your life _ , she thought to herself, still thankful that her friend hadn’t been caught in the explosion. “Oh, and you see this?” She indicated what appeared to be printing that had been stamped on another singed piece of metal.

“Barely.” Charlie scrutinized the item closely. “Looks like it’s been scratched out.”

“Yeah, it’s a serial number, and I was able to lift it and trace it to AHD Technology.”

Charlie didn’t even try to hide his expression of awe. This woman never failed to impress him with her ability to find the tiniest details in any piece of evidence. 

“Guess I know where we’re going next. Thanks again, Sarah.”

“Always,” she replied with a smile. She wondered if he had been back up to his desk yet. 

Contemplating what the evidence could tell him about the murder, Charlie walked back upstairs to gather his things from his desk. He was surprised at the to-go cup that had been left for him, of course with an accompanying note. He laughed to himself as he read it.

_ C, _

_ For the road. _

_ -S _

_ PS - Decaf? Really? _

Of course she’d anticipated that he would head out to the tech store right away. The game continues, he thought. Grabbing the cup and taking a sip, he noticed that she’d gotten his usual order of a flat white correct. He signalled to his canine partner. “Come on, Rex, we have some window-shopping to do”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one's really short.

Later that night, Charlie sat in the darkened bullpen, staring at the map of the previous target locations, trying to make sense of it. Where would the next strike be? He barely noticed Superintendent Donovan’s approach. 

“Burning the midnight oil?”

Still focused on the map, Charlie ran over the questions that remained unanswered with Joe. Something was missing, he was certain. If he could figure it out, it could be the key to solving this case. He remained fixated on the puzzle, barely registering Joe’s next words.

“Staring at this map all night is not going to make anything more clear.” The superintendent realized he didn’t have his detective’s attention at all. “Charlie.”

Charlie finally looked up.

“We’ll retrace our steps in the morning, walk through everything from the beginning. In the meantime, you go home and get yourself some rest, Hudson.” Seeing that the other man wasn’t making any moves to get up, Joe sighed, knowing what he needed to say. “That’s an order.” Turning to leave, Joe gently ruffled the fur on Rex’s head. “You too, Rex.” 

Rex laid down, waiting for his partner to make a move. Charlie considered the map once more. Joe was right, he wasn’t going to get anywhere with this tonight. Resigned, he got up to pack up for the day. Stopping by his desk, he noticed another to-go cup. How had she managed to get in so quietly? Was he really that distracted? He looked at Rex, who just cocked his head at him. Were they in cahoots?

_ C, _

_ Seriously. Go home. _

_ -S _

_ PS – Decaf. Consider it payback. But really, go get some rest. _

Heading to her car, Sarah laughed to herself. She’d held a finger to her lips to signal to Rex to stay at Charlie’s side while she’d dropped off the coffee. She hoped the detective would take the advice and go get some sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another short one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the slight delay on this one, I was busy being FIXATED ON THE FLIRTING FROM 3X04...which I have not not been watching on repeat since Tuesday...

Sarah arrived at work early that morning, noticing that Charlie and Joe’s cars were already in the parking garage. That was unexpected. She had a feeling something had happened overnight.

Scouting the bullpen area, she saw no sign of the rest of the Major Crimes team other than Donovan who appeared to be pacing his office, on the phone with someone. She took the opportunity to leave a fresh café au lait sitting on Charlie’s desk. Scribbling a quick note, she headed down to the lab to see if she could put together any more pieces of the puzzle, anything that might help them solve this case.

Jesse returned from his quick trip to the nearby coffee shop, carrying two to-go cups for himself and Donovan. For some reason, Charlie had declined the takeout offer.

Charlie came into the bullpen followed by a tired-looking Rex, back from a quick morning walk. The dog headed over to his perch, while Charlie took his seat at his desk. He smiled at the warm mug of coffee that had been left for him, and read Sarah’s note.

_ C, _

_ I’m thinking you’re going to need this. _

_ -S _

As the three men discussed their next move, Sarah casually strolled in as if just arriving at work, clipping on her ID badge. Charlie caught her eye as he took a grateful sip from his mug. 

She threw him an almost imperceptible smile, then noticed the tired expressions on the faces of the rest of the team. “Oh, an all-nighter, huh? Why do I always miss the cool stuff?”

“Well, it’s not cool,” replied Joe. “Tyler’s Holden’s missing.”

“What?” Sarah asked in surprise. “What can I do to help?”

“Well, we’ve done all we can, the only thing left to do is wait.”

“It’s just like me and that dead judge case,” Sarah mused. “We weren’t getting anywhere either.”

Charlie looked up at her. “Yeah, how did you solve that?”

“It turns out there was a fingerprint we missed. We didn’t find it til on a whim we went back to our very first piece of evidence.”

Back to the start, thought Charlie. 

As if reading the detective’s mind, Joe pondered whether going back to the beginning might be the right approach. 

Charlie digested this, an inquisitive look on his face. Then he came to a realization. “Hey Jesse, do you still have that key for the Haunted Truthers headquarters?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The case wraps up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this last chapter, it was a work weekend. Enjoy!

By the end of the night, Tyler had been found, the case had turned out to be an elaborate coin heist, and the culprits had been arrested. The Major Crimes team had finally tied up all of their loose ends. 

Leaving the darkened bullpen after completing his final report, Charlie was met with the sight of Tyler, Jesse, and Sarah all gathered by the coffee station huddled together, examining and exclaiming over the features of the drone they’d recovered. He smiled at the sight of his friends and their excitement.

“You guys are playing with the evidence again,” he teased.

Sarah looked up with an expression of pure delight, meeting his eyes for a moment while Jesse and Tyler continued to marvel over the drone. Charlie had to admit to himself that she was cute when she was in her element like this. He was only half-listening to Jesse and Tyler talking about the various features of the drone.

“And these stabilizers use compressed air,” Sarah explained, “which accounts for the high-frequency wave that the dogs were picking up on.

Okay he sort of understood that part, it was how Rex had been able to alert him to the danger prior to the explosion. It was kind of interesting, he supposed. 

Tyler of course ruined the moment when he started talking about his justification for having believed that the drone was alien in origin. Sarah caught Charlie’s eye for a moment, a silent look of amusement at the younger man’s wild musings.

Turning to leave, Charlie called for Rex.

“The truth is out there, Detective Hudson,” said Tyler.

Charlie rolled his eyes and threw them a look over his shoulder as he pulled Rex’s frisbee out of his bag. “Night, guys. Rex, you gonna stay with the drone, or do you want pizza?”

The dog made the obvious choice and followed Charlie down the hallway.

Later on, the excitement having died down, Sarah went down to the lab to collect her belongings to head home for what she hoped would finally be a quiet evening. Seeing the coffee on her desk, she laughed. Charlie had clearly stopped by on his way out. 

_ S, _

_ Thanks again, forensic super-sleuth. Couldn’t have solved it without you. _

_ Goodnight, nerd. _

_ -C _

_ PS - It’s not decaf, but we’ve got to talk about your late night caffeine habit. Do you ever sleep? _

Picking up the mug, she inhaled deeply and broke into a grin.. Pumpkin spice, her favourite. He really did pay attention. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, this was a fun one to write. I have a few more episode-related fics currently in the works.


End file.
